Storybook Animals
by Scarlet Secret
Summary: Sometimes the stories we are told damage the people they concern.


Storybook Animals.  
  
The circle seemed to be closing in on him. The Death Eaters were forming more confined ranks; they knew he was not going to escape, they could smell an imminent death a mile away.  
  
Especially the death of one who was detested not just by the evil of the world and the politicians, but the everyday community.  
  
A day had not gone by in his life when Remus Lupin had been able to walk through Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade or even Knockturn Alley without everybody staring at him, as though expecting him to sprout a tail, a long nose, claws, sharp teeth and kill the whole lot of them.  
  
All his life however, Remus had amused himself with the thought that Albus Dumbledore had planted in his head when he was a small boy; they read far too many fairytales.  
  
"They believe that the world is just as it is in the storybooks. That there will always be a dashing hero" (usually with shiny teeth and no spine) "to save the beautiful damsel in distress" (a pure and virtuous maid, who could bore anybody indefinitely) "from the tower, that is guarded by dragons" (who roared fire and went down with one swipe of a true sword) "and is being held captive by the villain" (who always had a crackpot motive).  
  
"The little magical creatures are almost always evil" (with the exception of Kreacher...) "and the werewolves are to be feared because they are ferocious beasts. These people should write novels not practice magic."  
  
The only people he met of his own age that were not stupid enough to believe in fairytales were three boys. And they had become Animagi to help him. A dog (to the very end...), a rat (a true rat) and a stag. He had always thought that the beautiful stag James turned into was something right out of a story, nothing could be that magnificent and be real.  
  
Eventually the facade had crashed around him and the story he had tried to create for himself, of brave warriors and a beautiful animal, had been destroyed in one night. The stag had left his dreams, to be replaced by his friends hollow eyes when he had arrived on the scene and the nightmares of what was happening to a small boy. His friends had all left him.  
  
Then one had returned and with him another of them, but not the startling stag he so longed to see.  
  
And again the world crashed to a halt when the dog was killed, by a member of the same breed. The sleek dog he had regained acquaintance with, he had known the courage of Sirius when they were young, but had forgotten it with time. But on that second dreadful night the second of their small pack had departed, with a barking laugh and a glare at his hunter he fell into an unknown darkness.  
  
The final members should have stayed united, the group were obviously stronger together, but yet the only Marauders were facing each other inside a circle. A circle of Death Eaters. all of them watching the accursed event as though it was the Quidditch World Cup Final and not one looking remorseful for the evil they did in the world.  
  
All of them so certain that Remus would not escape that they had removed their masks and hoods. The looks on some faces suggested that they did not want Wormtail to win the duel, he understood why. Wormtail was useless to them, two birds with one stone, he killed Peter and they killed him.  
  
"Remus, I am very sorry to have to kill you."  
  
"I'm not dead quite yet Peter, don't go digging a grave."  
  
"Soon enough Remus, there will be nothing left to bury."  
  
"Right, if you say so Wormtail."  
  
He had right reason to be disdainful, Peter's spells were not particularly powerful, they were mostly old jinxes they had all picked up in the corridors of Hogwarts and they were simple enough to deflect. But he was not looking forward to facing a whole hoard of Death Eaters that included, the Malfoy's, Rabastan Lestrange, his sister-in-law Bellatrix and who he thought was Voldemort at the back, hiding, but he couldn't be certain.  
  
Peter sent a jelly-legs curse.  
  
Remus deflected it and sent a stunner.  
  
Peter dodged and sent Crucio.  
  
Not expecting it Remus managed to move out of the way and had to send the only thing he knew worse.  
  
"Avada Kedavra."  
  
With amazement in his eyes Peter fell to the floor and stopped moving.  
  
"Wormtail.!!!"  
  
The cry came from the man at the back of the group.  
  
"Kill him.!!!"  
  
He didn't even try to dodge the many green lights that came at him, they encrusted him and for a moment he had a glow that made him other-worldly. Then he fell to the ground.  
  
The last of the beautiful animals that came from a storybook and the last of the Marauders. Their stories would not be believed by the next generation, but there was always a wise old man to make them have faith. 


End file.
